Brett Moffitt Wins at Iowa Speedway

For Brett Moffitt, Iowa wasn’t just his home on Saturday night, it was heaven. Moffitt fulfilled his destiny to win at his home track by leading the final 76 laps for his second NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) victory of the season. The Grimes, Iowa native captured his third-career NCWTS win in front of a large contingent of family and friends at Iowa Speedway on Father’s Day weekend, including his parents.

While the driver of the No. 16 S.M.A.R.T Series by Destiny Homes Toyota led a race-high 76 laps, he faced an uphill battled from the drop of the green flag after starting 16th. In typical fashion, Moffitt wasted no time picking up positions and entered the top 10 on lap two. Despite a lack of lateral grip, Moffitt stayed inside the top 10 and collected three points by running eighth at the end of Stage 1. Moffitt’s night became even more challenging after a lug nut hung between the right front wheel and hub during a four-tire pit stop during the stage break and sent him back to 14th.

Just like the initial start, Moffitt quickly picked off positions on the lap 69 restart and re-entered the top 10 on lap 70. He managed to battle his way to sixth by the time a pivotal caution flag flew on lap 103. The yellow flew 17 laps before the end of Stage 2 and provided crew chief Scott Zipadelli an opportunity to make a race-winning strategy play. Moffitt pitted under the caution for four tires, fuel, and air pressure adjustments and rejoined the field in 10th. During the six-lap dash to the Stage 2 finish, Moffitt blitzed through traffic to finish the stage third and became the first truck that pitted under the previous caution.

When the two lead trucks pitted under the stage break, Zipadelli kept Moffitt on track and inherited the race lead under yellow on lap 125. Moffitt took advantage of the outside lane on two restarts on laps 129 and 145 to solidify the top spot. Over the final 40 laps, Moffitt withstood a fierce and consistent charge from fellow Toyota driver Noah Gragson, including a last-lap swap for the lead in turn four. Moffitt beat Gragson back to the line to secure the second win for HRE and marked the first NCWTS win for an Iowa native at Iowa Speedway.

Brett Moffitt Quote:

“We had to fight all day. Qualified not where we wanted to and on the first stop, we had a lugnut get caught between the wheel and the hub. So, we went all the way back there. But, the guys worked hard. We executed at the end. To have this Destiny Homes, AISIN Toyota in victory lane is unreal. Noah (Gragson) was certainly faster at the end and I was just fortunate enough to be able to hit my marks and hold him off.”

“To win here, I did it in the K&N (Pro) Series in 2011, and to do it in the Truck Series at a national level is huge. I don’t think many people know the sacrifices we’ve made to get to the racetrack as a team. It’s been really stressful. And to have that weight lifted, to win this race and prove what we can do is super special. And to have it be at my home track and on Father’s Day weekend. My dad has always been there for me. He’s been my rock in everything I’ve done. He’s keeps me going, keeps me motivated. If it wasn’t for him, I would have quit 10 times by now. To have all these things add up and to go to victory lane at Iowa Speedway under the circumstances, it will go down in my mind as one of the best victories of my life.”